Bush calls for compassion in GOP
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WASHINGTON - President Bush called for a "compassionate" Republican Party and warned against the GOP becoming "anti-immigrant" in one of his last interviews as president, defending his vision of the party that has become unpopular among some Republicans.
"It's very important for our party not to narrow its focus, not to become so inward-looking that we drive people away from a philosophy that is compassionate and decent," the president said in an interview on "Fox News Sunday."
"We should be open-minded about big issues like immigration reform, because if we're viewed as anti-somebody - in other words, if the party is viewed as anti-immigrant - then another fellow may say, well, if they're against the immigrant, they may be against me."
Bush, asked about how the GOP could avoid future elections like 2008 when it lost the presidency and even more seats in the House and Senate, said, "We shouldn't change our philosophy."
But he added, "We definitely want to change messengers. We need a new group of leaders."
He declined to name any of the leaders except for his brother Jeb, who recently decided against running for the Senate in Florida in 2010 despite encouragement from the president.
Joined for part of the interview by his father, former President George H.W. Bush, the president said he would take up to four years to write a book about his presidency, which he said would explore his decision-making on some of the key issues of his eight-year tenure.
The two men defended each other's presidencies. "He's going to be judged great, too," the current president said of his father. "When history finally gets objective, they will be able to say a lot of positive things about George Bush."
George H.W. Bush says he viewed his son's tenure "very positively."
